ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 110221
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| Date: | Saturday 7 February 1942 |
| Time: | 20:05 |
| Type: |  North American AT-6A Texan |
| Owner/operator: | 431st School Sqn USAAF |
| Registration: | 41-385 |
| MSN: | 77-4374 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 2 mi SW of Tallahassee, Florida -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Tallahassee, Florida |
| Napier Field, Dothan, Alabama |
At 2005 hrs on 7 February 1942, the AT-6A 41-385 of 431st School Sqn, USAAF, crashed 2 miles southwest of Tallahassee, Florida, killing RAF Flying Cadet Ronald G. Robbins.
He had become lost on a day navigation flight earlier and eventually made it to his original destination of Tallahassee. That evening, Cadet Robbins took off with two other AT-6A airplanes piloted by two instructors for a night flight back to his home base at Napier Field, Dothan, Alabama. After a short time in the air, Robbins dropped out of the formation and turned back toward Tallahassee. The instructor radioed him to turn 180 degrees and they would pick him by turning 360 degrees with their landing lights on. Robbins did not turn back and continued toward Tallahassee.
When the airplane reached the field at Tallahassee, the control ship radioed the correct course to the cadet and instructed him to return to Dothan. Robbins then attempted the turn back to the course to Dothan at an altitude of 3,000 feet and was seen to enter a tight diving spiral to the ground, the airplane exploding into flames upon impact, killing the student instantly. Investigators could not determine the cause of the accident.
Sources:
"Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945. Volume 1, January 1941-June 1943", by Anthony J. Mireles. ISBN 0-7864-2788-4
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Feb1942.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallahassee,_Florida
http://www.maplandia.com/united-states/florida/leon-county/tallahassee/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Sep-2011 00:08 | Airintel | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 16-Feb-2012 03:45 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 31-Jan-2018 10:13 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 02-Apr-2018 14:55 | A.J. Scholten | Updated [Cn] |
| 15-Feb-2019 18:11 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
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